Purim 5783 Megilat Esther  Rabbi Gary Pokras  Purim is unique among all the Jewish holidays. One might think it is because we are commanded to drink to abandon, until we are so drunk, we cannot tell the difference between Haman and Mordechai. Or it could be the many delicious Hamantaschen we enjoy, or humorous and […]

Tetzaveh 5783  Ex. 27:20 – 30:10  Rabbi Baht Weiss  In Parshat T’tzvaeh the Torah describes in painstaking detail how the Mishkan (the portable sanctuary)  and all its ritual items are to be constructed.  Among those ritual items was the breastplate, worn by the High Priest, while serving the Mishkan.  The breastplate, with its four rows […]

Terumah 5783 Ex. 25:1 – 27:19  Rabbi Gary Pokras  My father is a retired architect, and he used to keep an extra drafting table in our basement. As a child, I loved to play at designing grand structures and would use his drafting table to create many “masterpieces.” What I did not enjoy was figuring […]

Mishpatim (Shabbat Shekalim) 5783 Ex. 21:1 – 24:18  Rabbi Gary Pokras  “You shall neither deceive a stranger nor oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” [Ex. 22:20]  Among the most prevalent recurring themes in the Torah is the missive to care for the vulnerable in our midst, and to do so […]

Yitro 5783 Ex. 18:1 – 20:23  Rabbi Gary Pokras  Parashat Yitro culminates with the dramatic revelation at Mount Sinai, where God spoke to Israel from the top of the Mount to give us the Ten Commandments. It begins, however, with a family reunion. Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro [“Yitro” in Hebrew], is a great leader of his […]

BeShallach (Shabbat Shira) 5783 Ex. 13:17 – 17:16  Rabbi Gary Pokras   This week we celebrate one of the most wondrous miracles of all: the parting of the Reed Sea . So extraordinary is this event in Torah, that we call this Shabbat a special name – Shabbat Shira. The Hebrew word shira means “song,” and […]